At the referee's signal, play continued.
Southampton didn't ease up; instead, they intensified their attacks, aiming to capitalize on United's adjustment period after the substitution.
Faced with the relentless pressure, the United players stayed composed, methodically carrying out their defensive duties.
In the 67th minute, Lemina advanced with the ball and suddenly launched a diagonal long pass toward the right flank.
Tadić held off Matic, barely cushioning the ball for Cédric's overlapping run.
Having battled Rashford for 65 minutes, Cédric's energy was severely depleted. He was gritting his teeth just to keep pushing.
Ling's defensive approach was clear.
He avoided reckless tackles, instead holding the inside line, using his body to shepherd the exhausted Cédric toward the sideline.
Within seconds, Ling seized on a heavy touch, accelerating to poke the ball out for a throw-in.
On the touchline, Pellegrino's expression turned grave.
He could see his key players—especially Cédric and Redmond—were running on empty. But making a substitution now was problematic.
His only real attacking option on the bench was James Ward-Prowse, a set-piece specialist, not a defender.
His lack of pace would be a liability against United's fresh legs on the wing.
As Pellegrino weighed his options, Southampton mounted another offensive.
In the 73rd minute, on the left flank, Redmond used a final burst of energy to shake off Valencia and deliver a cross.
"It's Redmond again, he's dug out another cross..." Martin Tyler called. "Long is up for it... he wins the header! But... oh, it's tame. Straight into the grateful arms of David De Gea!"
Seeing this, Romeu immediately urged his teammates to push forward.
"Get back! They're on the counter!"
De Gea didn't waste a second.
He glanced left, glanced right, then swung his right arm in a wide arc and hurled the ball out to the left flank.
Jeremy Ling was already sprinting onto it.
Cédric, wary and exhausted, didn't rush to engage.
He backed off, trying to block the path, conserving his last fumes of stamina.
Seeing his opponent wouldn't press him, Ling controlled the ball and charged forward.
As the distance narrowed, Ling suddenly accelerated. Cédric's face twisted with effort as he stubbornly kept up.
Abrupt stop. Acceleration. Another abrupt stop.
After two rounds of this, Cédric's calves were trembling.
'This kid is shameless!' Ling was toying with him, draining his stamina.
Before they knew it, they had reached the center circle. Ling executed one more sudden stop, and Cédric finally trailed behind.
In his field of vision, Ling saw it.
The Southampton formation shifted.
Number 18, Lemina, drifted left, just as Mourinho had predicted. A vast, green expanse of open space was revealed.
Mata and Valencia were already in position.
Ling leaned his body.
The black fabric of his jersey fluttered in the Atlantic breeze.
Everyone knew what was coming.
"And that's the trigger!" Gary Neville shouted from the gantry. "Look at Lemina, number 18, he's been sucked out of position! Just like Mourinho said!"
Thump!
A dull sound echoed as Ling's boot met the ball.
"Ling has seen it!" Martin Tyler roared. "WHAT A PASS! A glorious, sweeping long ball into that exact space!"
The ball spun violently, tracing a brilliant arc as it dropped into that lethal pocket.
Southampton's left-back, Bertrand, was isolated, utterly unable to cover.
Mata gave him no chance, controlling the ball with a velvet first touch and delivering a perfectly timed through pass in one fluid motion.
On the right side of the penalty area, Valencia summoned his last ounce of energy, driving toward the box.
"You mark Lukaku, I'll cover the defense!" Van Dijk yelled as he decisively charged at Valencia.
Valencia spotted the right moment and slid a pass across the center.
Could Yoshida Maya stop Lukaku? No.
The Japanese defender felt the overwhelming force. It was like contending not with a human, but with a frenzied rhinoceros.
Thump!
Lukaku muscled past Yoshida and unleashed a fierce shot into the top right corner.
"GOAL!!! ROMELU LUKAKU!" Martin Tyler screamed. "Manchester United have broken the deadlock! After a grueling 75-minute stalemate, a brutal, clinical, counter-attacking goal!"
"Looking back at this," Gary Neville added, "this is a classic José Mourinho masterclass. They soaked up 75 minutes of pressure, and one pass—one perfect pass from Ling—unlocked them. Mata and Valencia's runs were relentless. And the power from Lukaku... Yoshida simply couldn't handle him. That is devastatingly efficient football."
After scoring, Lukaku sprinted wildly, roaring at the sky, releasing all the frustration from being marked by Van Dijk all game.
On the sidelines, Mourinho's expression remained cold.
He turned to the home fans who had been taunting him, raised a single finger to his lips, and held it there.
A blatant "shush."
The Southampton fans erupted in a torrent of furious, foul language, made worse by the look in Mourinho's eyes.
It wasn't contempt; it was blatant disregard.
On the other side, Pellegrino's face was ashen. He'd been out-thought.
"And now both teams are making adjustments," Martin noted. "Pellegrino is going all out. Charlie Austin, James Ward-Prowse, and Manolo Gabbiadini are all coming on."
"And in response," Gary said, "Mourinho... well, it's Chris Smalling for Mkhitaryan and Ander Herrera for Mata. It's the most Mourinho substitution of all time. He's got his 1-0, and he is shutting up shop."
The match resumed.
Southampton launched frantic, desperate attacks. But against United's unified defense, they failed.
The newly substituted Ward-Prowse, worried about Ling's pace on the counter, didn't dare push too far forward.
Redmond, on the other flank, was out of gas.
Their central penetration was completely ineffective, as Herrera and Smalling formed a defensive shield.
As time ticked away, the Southampton players grew anxious. The more they rushed, the more mistakes they made.
The Southampton fans finally fell silent, a grim familiarity setting in.
"This is what he does," Gary Neville said quietly. "This is his blueprint. The Saints fans are remembering what it was like when a Mourinho 1-0 was the most feared result in the league."
Finally, the referee raised the whistle to his lips.
Phweeeeeep! Phweeeeeep! Phweeeeeep!
The full-time whistle blew.
"And that is it!" Martin Tyler concluded. "Manchester United have done it. A classic, smash-and-grab victory, courtesy of Romelu Lukaku. It wasn't pretty, but it was perfectly executed."
Southampton 0-1 Manchester United.